Chapter 116
Great Namgung Family Patriarch Namgung Jo was currently in a meeting with Namgung Hyun-Ah at the Great Namgung Family’s Righteous Sky Pavilion.
“What? You want to cut off your relationship with our family?” Namgung Jo repeated, baffled by Hyun-Ah’s words.
“As I said, I want to leave the Great Namgung Family to become Young Master Baek’s woman.”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? If you want to become Baek Mu-Gun’s woman, you can just officially marry him. Why do something so unreasonable?”
“Young Master Baek does not want to marry a lady from the Seven Great Families, not even from the Great Namgung Family. Hence, if I want to be his woman, I have no choice but to leave the family.” Hyun-Ah responded.
“Did he say that he had no intention of marrying a lady from the Seven Great Families?”
“Yes. Young Master Baek said that he does not want to establish connections with the Seven Great Families through a marriage of convenience.”
“Do you really think abandoning our family is a sound decision? Do you value our family less than a single man?” Namgung Jo was baffled.
“To be loved by a man is a woman’s happiness. Our family is important, but my happiness is more important to me, so please just accept my decision,” Hyun-Ah rebutted.
“If that Baek Mu-Gun brat really loves you, wouldn’t he also accept your family? Yet he’s asking you to abandon your family for him instead. I can’t help but question if someone like him can be considered a true man.”
“Young Master Baek has never asked me to abandon our family. This is purely my own decision.”
“He didn’t say it himself, but he did use your feelings to push you into that decision, did he not? More importantly, if you two are truly in love, then how could it still be a marriage of convenience? Either way, the fact that he’s rejecting you simply because you are a lady of the Great Namgung Family serves as proof that his feelings for you are lacking,” Namgung Jo countered.
“If I marry Young Master Baek, I doubt the Great Namgung Family will leave the Baek Sword Sect alone. You will put the Baek Sword Sect under the Great Namgung Family’s influence and use them to further expand our family’s power. That’s exactly what Young Master Baek does not want to see happen.”
“So you have really fallen head over heels for him, huh? It’s evident in how you defend him. However, let me be clear. I do not have any intention of accepting your decision. As my child, you are to dedicate everything you have to the Great Namgung Family. Your marriage is no exception. You are not allowed to marry as you please. Whether you like it or not, you will marry who I want you to marry. That is the duty of a lady of the Great Namgung Family. Now, stop spouting nonsense and have some self-restraint.”
“No. No matter what you say, I will still cut off all ties with the Great Namgung Family. I will no longer follow through with my obligation as a lady of the Great Namgung Family.”
“Are you really going to abandon our family and this father of yours?”
“I’m really sorry, Father. I’m sorry for being unable to repay our family’s kindness and grace. However, this is my life to live. Please let me live freely.”
“No. You’re the child of the Great Namgung Family’s patriarch, so your life is not only yours. It belongs to the Great Namgung Family. Give it a rest already.”
“I can’t do that. Even if you do not give me permission, I will still leave the Great Namgung Family.” Hyun-Ah stubbornly insisted.
“On whose watch?! Guards!” Namgung Jo called for the Great Namgung Family’s martial artists who were standing guard outside.
“Lock Hyun-Ah in her room and keep a close eye on her. Make sure she can’t go out.”
“Father!” Hyun-Ah glared at Namgung Jo.
“What are you doing? Take her away quickly!” Ignoring Hyun-Ah, Namgung Jo gave orders to the Great Namgung Family’s martial artists.
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Milady! Please come with us quietly.” The family’s martial artist politely urged.
Filled with resentment, Hyun-Ah glared at Namgung Jo. Knowing full well that starting a scuffle here would be useless, she gently got up from her seat. The martial artists took her away and grounded her in her room, then surrounded her residence and put it under tight surveillance. Far too weak to break through the guards and escape from her room, Hyun-Ah failed to go to Mu-Gun.
* * *
Unaware of Hyun-Ah’s current situation, Baek Mu-Gun focused on his responsibilities. A few days after returning to Wenzhou, he visited the Medicine King Family in Mount Yandang.
“Welcome,” Medicine King Family Patriarch Seonwoo Pyo greeted.
“Has anything happened since we last met?” Mu-Gun asked.
“We’ve been doing nothing but researching herbs and concocting pills in the middle of the mountains, so I should be the one asking you that, Young Master Baek. After all, you have been fighting the Nine Celestial Demons Sect’s demonic practitioners, which puts you in constant danger.”
“Although it is dangerous, someone has to do it.”
“If all martial artists were like you, Young Master Baek, murim would have been a truly righteous and peaceful world by now,” Seonwoo commented.
“That’s a little too much.”
“I’m serious. None of the countless martial artists I have met so far has been as righteous and upright as you, Young Master Baek.”
“Are you implying that I’m even more righteous than the great hero, Heavenly Thunder God's Swordsman Guyang Hwi?”
“Ah, I forgot about Master Guyang.”
“Between me and Master Guyang, who do you think is better?” Mu-Gun mischievously asked.
“Well, I would of course side with the man in front of me.” Seonwoo Pyo chuckled.
“If Master Guyang hears about this, he will be disappointed.”
“Still, shouldn’t the living come first as a priority?”
Mu-Gun simply shrugged in reply. “That aside, how far along are we on the spiritual pill production?”
“We currently have five Heavenly Medicine Pills and thirty-five Hundred Herb Pills prepared. They are already packed, so you can take them with you when you leave.”
“You’ve made more than I expected.”
“Thanks to the herbs you airlifted to us through the Eun Merchant Group, we were able to increase the production output a little more.”
“I see. The Medicine King Family’s medicines have been of great help. I am always grateful to you and your people,” Mu-Gun thanked Seonwoo Pyo.
“It’s not like we’re doing it for free, so why thank us?” Seonwoo Pyo waved his hands dismissively.
“I’m thanking you because the price we are paying the Medicine King Family is infinitely less than the true value of the pills.”
“That makes me glad. Our family’s pills proving helpful in preventing the Nine Celestial Demons Sect’s rampage is more than enough for me.”
“If only the world knew about your and the Medicine King Family’s noble goals, they would already be singing of praise about you,” Mu-Gun responded.
“We’re not doing this for that.”
“I know. Still, it’s a shame that I’m the only one that knows. Speaking of which, as I promised, I’d like to start opening medicinal clinics soon.”
“The medicinal clinics?” Seonwoo Pyo sounded surprised.
“That’s right. It would be best to open branches in all regions of Zhejiang Province first, starting with Wenzhou.”
“That would be great, but opening that many medicinal clinics will require huge funding. We still do not have enough money for it.”
“Don’t worry. The Baek Sword Sect will provide financial support to cover the rest.”
“Are you serious?”
“Didn’t I promise you that when the Medicine King Family agreed to provide pills to us?” Mu-Gun said in a serious tone.
“But I didn’t expect it to start so soon,” Seonwoo Pyo replied.
“I was actually worried that I’m starting this too late, so it puts me at ease that I’m doing this earlier than you expected. Anyway, let’s open the first medicinal clinic in Wenzhou, then open more branches in the regions where the other members of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang are.”
The bases of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang were some of the largest cities in Zhejiang Province. Considering the demand for medicinal clinics, it was better to prioritize opening branches in big cities and large populations. Since those areas are home to the Ten Clans of Zhejiang, the clinics would have the advantage of being under the Ten Clans of Zhejiang’s protection.
“Understood. We’ll make the necessary preparations.”
“Thank you. I should get going,” Mu-Gun said and stood up.
“Okay. The pills are already outside and ready for you.”
“Noted.”
Mu-Gun left Seonwoo Pyo’s residence. As Seonwoo Pyo said, the available Heavenly Medicine Pills and the Hundred Herb Pills were already waiting for him outside. Upon returning to the Baek Sword Sect, he reported to Baek Cheon-Sang about the pills he brought back from the Medicine King Family and discussed how to distribute them.
They set aside three of the five Heavenly Medicine Pills for the remaining three Patriarchs of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang who still hadn’t gotten one, then decided to give the last two Heavenly Medicine Pills to sword squad leaders Baek Cheon-Gi and Baek Cheon-Ho. Having already consumed a Heavenly Medicine Pill each, the two had reached the Upper Peak Realm. It would still be difficult to reach the Absolute Realm if they consumed another, but they could at least progress further into the Upper Peak Realm. Lastly, in order of priority, they would give the thirty-five Hundred Herb Pills to the Baek Sword Corps warriors who were yet to receive one.
A few days later, Mu-Gun visited the Flower Honor Manor again. Now that Dan Seol-Young had become his lover, the number of times he frequented the Flower Honor Manor had significantly increased. He didn’t put his work aside just to meet her, however, so Cheon-Sang did not comment on it.
Upon arriving at the Flower Honor Manor, Mu-Gun looked for Cheon Yu-Hwa before meeting Seol-Young.
“I think I’ve been seeing you too often these days,” Yu-Hwa welcomed Mu-Gun with a joke.
“You’re not tired of me already, are you?”
“Of course not. I might be old now, but a handsome man like you is still always welcome here, Young Master Baek.”
“Why mention your age, Hall Leader Cheon? If you go outside now, droves of men will line up before you.”
“Even so, I would just as quickly lose their interest if a young and beautiful woman appeared.”
“I don’t think so. Any man who knows what to truly look for in a woman wouldn’t miss a beauty like you, Hall Leader Cheon.”
“Hearing that from you makes me feel great, Young Master Baek. Anyway, how long do you plan to keep Seol-Young here? Don’t tell me you’re not going to take her away from this place?”
“I won’t leave her here for too long, so don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried. I’m only saying that because I treat Seol-Young like my daughter, so don’t misunderstand.”
“I won’t. Please feel free to tell me anything. I consider you as Seol-Young’s mother, so I’ll listen to all that you have to say.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“It’s not something to thank me for. That aside, are there any new updates about murim?” Mu-Gun seamlessly changed the subject.
“The Changjiang Waterway Alliance and the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Lulin covered their tracks quite well. We’ve been looking for them everywhere, but they’re probably hiding somewhere undetectable.”
“Hmm, they’re likely trying to preserve their forces for future operations,” Mu-Gun replied.
“I think so as well. We’ll keep trying to track them down.”
“I leave it to you.”
“I also have news about Lady Namgung Hyun-Ah.”
“What about her?”
“It seems she’s been confined in her residence.”
“Confined?”
“I don’t know the details, but we’re certain that she is being detained in her own residence.”
Mu-Gun had a rough idea about what happened. Considering Hyun-Ah mentioned that she would cut ties with the Great Namgung Family, things likely did not go according to her plan. Great Namgung Family Patriarch Namgung Jo had to have refused her decision and detained her in her residence due to her stubbornness.
‘Am I ultimately at fault here?’ Mu-Gun smiled bitterly.
“You’re aware of the reason behind her detainment, aren’t you?” Yu-Hwa questioned upon noticing Mu-Gun’s expression.
After pondering about it for a while, Mu-Gun decided to tell Hyun-Ah the truth behind what happened.
“She must have unconditional feelings for you. After all, she even turned her back on her family to be with you..”
Yu-Hwa was surprised to learn that Hyun-Ah’s feelings for Mu-Gun were greater than she could have imagined.
“That’s why I could not reject her love, but that also seems to be the reason things turned out this way.”
“Why did you have to go that far, though? You could have just married her, then refused to comply with the Great Namgung Family’s demands. Does the Great Namgung Family want something from Young Master Baek or the Baek Sword Sect?” Yu-Hwa seemed confused.
“I can’t explain the situation in full detail right now, but I have some ill-fated relationship with the Great Namgung Family. To exact revenge, I will have no choice but to make an enemy out of them, but my heart might waver if I am involved with a lady from their family.”
“Do you really have to exact vengeance for that ill-fated relationship? You can simply choose to forget it for Lady Namgung.”
“The grudge I have is not that light.” Mu-Gun’s tone was firm.
“You should not have started a relationship with Lady Namgung in the first place, then,” Yu-Hwa said, sounding quite unhappy.
“I shouldn’t have, but as you’re well aware, a man’s heart doesn’t always follow his will,” Mu-Gun responded.
“That’s true. So, what are you going to do? Can you just pretend to be oblivious to this?”
“I don’t intend to turn a blind eye to this. However, I will have to spend some time thinking about what to do.”
“If you need help from the Heavenly Secret Hall, let me know,” Yu-Hwa offered.
“Understood.”
Mu-Gun left soon after. He normally would have made love to Seol-Young now, but he had too many things on his mind due to the predicament Hyun-Ah was in. Hence, Mu-Gun immediately returned to the Baek Sword Sect after having a cup of tea with Seol-Young.
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